Lagniappe

 

 

 

Tom Pauken II :
Inter-Korean Summit: Success or Failure?

President said his meeting with Kim Jong-il a success but was it?

The two leaders of North and South Korea met in Pyongyang on Oct. 2-4 and pledged to some remarkable agreements that might improve the political, military and economic landscape of the Korean Peninsula. But considering North Korea's past behavior, appearances can be deceiving.

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-il and South Korea's president Roh Moo-hyun signed a declaration on Oct. 4 announcing their intent to work toward a permanent end to the 1950-53 Korean War. They requested that the United States and China, two other signatories of the ceasefire, replace the armistice system with a peace treaty.

The declaration called for future inter-Korean summits between the prime ministers and defense ministers. A peace and cooperation zone would be established in the Yellow Sea with joint fisheries.

The South Korean government offered: to build an economic zone in Haeju, a North Korean port town, to restore the Kaesong-Sinuiji Railway and Kaesong-Pyongyang Highway, to start Mount Baekdu tourism projects, open flights from Seoul to Mount Baekdu, to unite a joint team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and cross the border together along the Gyeonggui Railway, to establish cooperative shipbuilding complexes in Anbyeon and Nampo, to open freight railway services from Munsan and Bongdong, and to jointly use the Han River estuary.

South Korean officials claimed the private sector not taxpayers would fund most of the projects. But the Financial Times revealed that major conglomerates in the South have little interest. Chung Mong-koo, the chairman of Hyundai Motors, who accompanied Roh on the trip, told the Financial Times, "We are far from doing any kind of manufacturing there and on the consumer side there is no buying power in North Korea and no distribution network."

Many other corporate bosses who attended the inter-Korean summit also expressed similar sentiments.

It might seem apparent that Kim would feel grateful for such extravagant financial aid. Eleven billion dollars amounts to almost half of North Korea's annual GDP. But The Chosun Ilbo, a South Korean newspaper, revealed that Roh received poor treatment from Kim according to a former North Korean official.

"President Roh Moo-hyun is being honored with a level of protocol North Korea leader reserves for leaders from developing (Third World) countries," the former official said.

Kim appeared uncomfortable as he greeted Roh at the plaza of the April 25 House of Culture in Pyongyang(*), without smiling. He didn't appear at two state dinners in honor of the South Korean delegation. He didn't join Roh when the South Korean president watched the Arirang Festival, a communist propaganda show. His rudeness irritated Roh causing the president to decline Kim's offer to stay in the North for an extra day.

Roh announced the inter-Korean summit was a success when he returned to Seoul. The mainstream international media had come to a similar conclusion. Major newspapers printed glowing articles about North Korea's promise to shut down their nuclear weapons program and the possibility of a peace treaty.

But the inter-Korean summit could not be described as a success story or a failure. North Korea has a historical pattern of breaking official agreements with other nations. The possibility that North Korea will change its habits is unlikely.

It has already reverted to diplomatic intransigence. After the Korea declaration was signed, defense ministers from the North and South met and accomplished nothing. North Korea demanded U.S. troops depart from the peninsula, they wouldn't provide information on South Korean POWs and other kidnap victims and they refused to remove their troops, alongside with South Korean soldiers, from the heavily militarized border.

Besides, the North didn't pledge to improve their human rights record. Kim exploits the generosity of the South to continue his dictatorial rule over his people. By showing his contempt toward Roh, he proved his lack of respect for South Korea. But he can treat the South abhorrently because they will offer him handouts regardless.


(*) An earlier version of this article misidentified the Roh-Kim meeting place. It was not at the airport, but at a plaza in Pyongyang. OhmyNews regrets the error.

 

Tom Pauken II is political scientist and is contributor for various media in Seoul. Petroleumworld does not necessarily share these views.

Editor's note: This commentary was originally published by Ohmy News, on 10/11/2007. Petroleumworld reprint this article in the interest of our readers. Petroleumworld does not necessarily share these views.

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Petroleumworld News 10/18/07

Copyright© 2007 Tom Pauken II. All rights reserved.

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